IMPORTANT HOLIDAY SERVICE INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES!

Greetings Families!

Here are some important news bits relating to the up and coming holiday services ~

• This year's Children's Holiday Pageant will be a telling of the story "A Patchwork Quilt".  To make it easy on everyone, all you have to do to participate is to show up in George Bray Hall at 3:00pm on Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24).  While sharing a snack together, the children participating will learn their one line ("A Quilt Never Forgets") and pieces of fabric will be divided up to anyone who wants one.  We will do our "pageant" during the Story for All Ages during the 4pm service.
• Sunday, Christmas Day, December 25th there will be only one service at 10:00 am and there will be NO NURSERY OR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES!
• Sunday, New Year's Day, January 1 there will also be only one service at 10:00 am.  THERE WILL BE NO SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES BUT THERE WILL BE NURSERY CARE PROVIDED.  This is a special Kwanzaa All Multigenerational Service.

Calling all Chalice Lighters!

Greetings families!  I'm starting up the list of Chalice Lighters for January for both services and I'm looking for families that would be willing to participate.  Each week a family (of any size or shape from one person to filling the stage!) comes up and lights the chalice with Tony and has a short saying to read.  The saying is emailed to you a week in advance and he also has a copy when you arrive Sunday morning.  After the children go downstairs, the adults in the family will help with lighting the candles during joys and concerns as well.

Anyone who hasn't done it in awhile or if you haven't done it at all ~ let me know if you're interested for January...  I'll get you on my list! =)

Laura

Holiday Pageant is Coming...

On Saturday, December 24 at 4pm, we will have our annual Family Christmas Eve Service that includes a short children's pageant in the program.  We will begin preparing for this in our Sunday RE classes in December, but in the meantime, please let the DREs know as soon as you can if you will be attending that service so we can count on how many children will be involved in the pageant.  More information will be coming soon!


Laura  =)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

We would love to take this Thanksgiving time to give MANY thanks to all our volunteers in the RE Department. SOOOOOOOO... On Sunday, November 20th after second service, we will be having a Teacher Appreciation Pot Luck Luncheon in George Bray Hall and ALL ARE INVITED!!!!! Even if you aren’t a volunteer in our program but you’re a family that would like to show your gratitude for all our volunteers do, please come and join us!!!! OBUUC will be providing beverages and tableware and we ask that everyone who plans on attending bring a dish to pass. If your last name begins with A – H, please bring a main course type item; if you are I – Q, please bring a side dish/appetizer and if you are R – Z, please bring a dessert. And to make sure that we have enough food for everyone, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE sign up with either Leann or me. There will be sign up sheets at church, but you are welcome to email or call us as well. We hope to see you there!

Helping Hands!!!!

Due to Morgan's Ordination Helping Hands did NOT meet on October 16th like they normally would.  Instead, Helping Hands WILL be having a bake sale this Sunday, October 23rd so start baking and bring in those baked goods for the sale!!!

Halloween Family Fun Night!

On Friday, October 28 from 6 - 8 pm (George Bray Hall at church), we are having our annual Family Fun Night - come one, come all!  It is an all ages event and there will be food, fun and fright to feed your fall frolicking!  We are asking that everyone who attends bring a dish to pass...  Hope to see you there!

Principles Spotlight

This year I’d like to take the time each month to recognize those children I catch doing their best to honor our principles.  I think it’s important to let them know that they are amazing Unitarian Universalists!  This month I caught Jose following the principle “all people are important” by helping his brother downstairs and making sure he was okay in the nursery.  I caught Leah making sure “all people have a voice about things that concern them” when she let me know that Jude hadn’t gotten to share his joy yet.  Lastly, but certainly not least, Casey and Eli are always “taking care of the earth which gives us life” by asking about the fish and making sure they are fed every time they come to church.  Way to go friends!  I’m so proud of ALL of you!

I'm Coming Home...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJ32h-YpQA&feature=youtube_gdata_player




Luanne shared this with me today.  Thought you might all enjoy seeing it...  WELCOME HOME!  =)

All Families Are Unique and Special!

This year’s church-wide curriculum (birth through adults) will focus on celebrating our diversity.  While taking this journey together, I’ve decided it was important to honor the many traditions we all hold dear by spotlighting different families from time to time.  The bulletin board right at the bottom of the stairs outside George Bray Hall has been set-aside for this purpose.

Any family can participate so I encourage all of you to not only stop by and take a look, but to contact me about having your own family up there soon.  I started with my own family just to get the ball rolling, but anyone and everyone can participate at any time!  Whenever I get a request, the previous family will have their stuff returned to them and the new requestor will have a blank canvas at their disposal…

The format is simple ~ show us, tell us, demonstrate to us in any way you see fit what it is that makes your family unique and special.  We’re using the phrases “We Believe, We Feel, We Act” to share what it is that your family is passionate about.  And a family can come in any shape and size – a family of one, a blended family, a family with or without children, a family with partners, a family of pets – come one, come all – you are all welcome!

OBUUC has a rich and diverse population and we cherish each and every one of you!  I sure hope that at some time this year you will all take a turn in our Family Spotlight.

Welcome to the New School Year at OBUUC!

As always, with a new year come changes and new opportunities.  This year, we are VERY PLEASED to begin a truly Multigenerational Service every week where our children start upstairs for the opening songs, chalice lighting, story for all ages and more.  While the staff at OBUUC have worked hard to make this portion of the service enjoyable for all ages, here are a few things you can do as a family to help too ~

• Try to get to church at least 10 minutes before the service starts so you have time to get nametags and get settled.
• Prepare your children ahead of time for the proper way to behave in our sanctuary ~ we DON’T want children that are seen and not heard, but we DO want people to observe our first principal that all people are important and we want everyone to be able to hear and enjoy the service.
• We will be having families of all kinds lighting the chalice every Sunday ~ please feel free to sign your entire family up to be chalice lighters.  Notices will be going out each month to recruit so sign up soon!
• Since the children will be taking part in their portion of the worship service, we will not be having busy hands bags on most Sundays.  If we are having a full multigenerational service for the entire hour we will certainly bring them out.
• The Story for All Ages isn’t just for the minister and DRE!  If you like to tell stories, do drama, or read to children – let us know!  All ages are welcome and anyone can participate!  If you have a particular story to share or something along those lines – feel free to get in touch with me so we can see how it might fit in to a Story for All Ages.  We’d like to get everyone involved!  J
• Please remember to pick your children up in George Bray Hall no later than 25 minutes after the hour!  We are finished with our program by then and the children like to be reunited with their families as soon as possible…  J

Deadline for Church Camp is Approaching!

Greetings!

The deadline for registering for Church Camp 2011 is fast approaching - September 1...  Church Camp 2011 will take place the weekend of September 16, 17 and 18 at Upham Woods.  So many memories and good times have been had at this retreat so we sure hope you can make it!!!!!  Lots of great activities are planned for people OF ALL AGES!!!!!  Feel free to contact me with any questions...  Full or even partial scholarships are available!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!!!!

With the new school year just a few short weeks away, we are on a HUGE push to get our volunteers lined up for the Children's Program.  I have several people who have generously offered their time and talent but those people could certainly use some others to join them!!!!  Either service can use more helpers, but 9am in particular needs several more people to join the team.  Please spread the word and let me know of anyone I can contact as soon as possible...  Thanks everyone - many hands make light work!!!!!  =)

Fire Drill This Sunday (8/14)

For anyone with sensitivity to LOUD noises, we're letting you know there will be a fire drill this Sunday at the 10am service.  It will occur at the end of the service, but we thought you should know so you can plan accordingly!  =)

UU Holidays...

UU Parenting blogger Michelle Richards believes that in order to build a strong Unitarian Universalist identity in our children, it is important to celebrate holidays that are uniquely UU. Richards suggests celebrating Ingersoll Day on August 11th to uphold our Fourth Principle, the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.  (From Facebook)  Any thoughts? Check out her blog here ~  UU Parenting

Welcome to the New OBUUC Children's Page Blogspot!

In our never ending efforts to find new and efficient ways to communicate with our families, I made a great discovery this summer...  The Blog!  Not that I didn't know about blogs previously, but I didn't realize how many cool things you could put into a blog to share with others - calendars, news, forms, schedules, lessons, etc...  I was hooked immediately!  What a great idea to have one central location for all of us to go to when we need information about the Children's Program!  

So we're going to try this out and see how well it works for us.  This blog will be kept current at all times with information and news you can use.  If you want to know what time the service is this weekend and what we're doing ~ check the calendar.  If you need to register your children for the next school year - fill out the form on-line and save time.  If you want to see what the kids are up to ~ check out the newsletters or blogs.  If you're a teacher or nursery caregiver, look at the schedules posted or lesson plans for the coming weekend.  It's all here!

I will still keep sending out emails to remind people of things as always, but this blog will be here any time you want to check it out.  As this is a new adventure we are embarking on, your feedback and questions are vital.  Please feel free to post below with your thoughts...

Thank you, as always, for your amazing support!

Laura  =)